Stop me if you've heard this one: Once upon a time, you visited a web site that you're not exactly proud of. Let's say the content of said web site rhymes with "corn". And oops! You forgot to go incongnito beforehand. You've frantically deleted the site from your history once you realized your mistake, but from this point forward, every time you type in "po", Chrome helpfully autocompletes the entire URL. THANKS CHROME!

If you have heard this story before (from a friend, right?), you may want to familiarize yourself with the handy Shift+Delete shortcut.

The short version: In both Chrome and Firefox, highlighting an autocomplete entry and pressing Shift+Delete removes said autocomplete entry from the address and search bars so you can avoid pesky or embarrassing autocompletes. And yes, this tip is handy even if you aren't de-porning your browser.

Advertisement

A G-rated example:

My test search on Google is "dog"—i.e., any time I need to do a quick search to make sure my connection is working, I type "dog" into a Google search. Some people type "test", I type "dog". Then, a couple of weeks ago, I checked out a web site called Dog Vacay, which is sort of like AirBnB for your pets. No problems so far, except—damn, now every time I try typing "dog" into Chrome, it autocompletes to dogvacay.com. Chrome! *shakes fist*

Sure, I could change my test search, but that's years of muscle memory, and I like my routines and pictures of dogs at the top of results.

Instead, I just type my normal "dog" into the address bar, get slightly angry when "dogvacay.com" shows up, then, making sure that entry is highlighted in the autocomplete drop-down (which, of course, it already is, having been autocompleted), I press Shift+Delete (or, on a Mac keyboard, Shift+Function+Delete). The autocomplete entry is removed, and I'm back to searching in peace. for dogs a few times a week.

Also: This works with porn. (Remember, Incognito mode is just a Ctrl+Shift+N/Cmd+Shift+N away!) Have fun out there!